K9 Web Protection

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K9 Web Protection

Installation Instructions (download as PDF - 600k)

Go to our support site (support.webband.com ) and click on Downloads section. Under “Free Software Links” click on K9 Web Protection . Click the “Download” button.

The first step is to request a free license.

Complete the form using a valid e-mail address. In the “How did you hear about us?” box, please select “Other” and type “WebBand” in the box.

You will receive an e-mail within moments with your free license. From the e-mail you can go to the download page, or click “Download Software” from the left menu on this page.

The software works with Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Vista. A Mac version is also available for OS 10.4.7 and higher (the software is still in beta format) . It does not support Windows 95 or Windows 98.

The software is very small and should download quickly, even with dial-up service. Once the program is downloaded, double click the installer and follow the instructions.

Press “I Agree” to the License Agreement to continue the installation. 

Use the default directory to install to and when prompted, enter the license code from your e-mail. If you have not requested a free license, you can click on “Get license …” to request one. They are free and one is required for EVERY PC that the software is installed on.

You’ll need to setup an administrator password. This will give you access to the reports for this PC. Please keep this safe and away from those you are trying to protect. It can be used to disarm the filter. One good thing about the software is that even if it is disarmed, it still tracks and an administator can review where that PC has been on the Internet and when and if the filter has been bypassed with a password. 

Once the software is installed, your PC will need to be restared (or rebooted).

After restarting your PC, click the “Blue Coat K9 Web Protection” icon on your desktop to access the control panel.

The main page will give you access to your PC protection to setup. Click on the Setup sections first. Enter your administrator password.

The first section you setup is the “Web Categories to Block.” The default protection is a good place to start. Click on “Show Details” for other options for each level. When you are finished updating this section, press the “Save Changes” button.

On the left side there is a menu for more setup options. “Time Restrictions” allow you to restrict Internet access on this PC during certain times of the day. The image above shows that Internet access is blocked from 9pm to 8am. Make sure to click the “Save Changes” button before moving to the next section.

The “Web Site Exception” section will allow you to input specific web sites to block or allow.

“Blocking Effects” is a nice way to give a audiable response when your PC blocks a site. If this option is selected (it is not selected by default), the computer will “bark” when someone accesses a blocked page. You also have the ability to shut down the Internet if a certain amount of blocked pages are attempted during a specific amount of time – i.e. if the user tries to get to 10 blocked pages during a 10 minute time frame, turn off Internet access for one hour.

“URL Keywords” is another way to fine tune your filter. Put in keywords that should be blocked when they appear in the URL (or web address).

“Other Settings” include participating in the beta program and Google SafeSearch. The beta program gives you access to new software releases. Beta testers push the software and report any issues they run across to the company. This option should not be selected unless you know what you are doing. Google SafeSearch turns on a filter by Google that will keep your searches from finding nasty stuff. It is recommended that you keep this option selected.

The “View Internet Activity” section gives you specific details on where this PC has been online. The main pages will list site categories visited, as well as a general overview. To view details of each category, click it’s link.

Activity Detail gives you specific information on where the PC has been online. It shows pages that were accepted (in green) and blocked (in red).

We hope that this tutorial has helped you understand K9 Web Protection better and given you the tools to implement it on your home PCs. Please remember that your Administrator Password needs to be kept safe and should never be given to other members of your family unless you’d like them to have access to the setup screens and activity details.